


You Get My Heart Racing

by Alyceofthefall



Category: Free!
Genre: Idk which other characters i just like Free! and also cars man, M/M, Self indulgence, Street Racing, mechanic AU
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-07-19
Updated: 2018-07-19
Packaged: 2019-06-12 18:36:46
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,400
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15346050
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Alyceofthefall/pseuds/Alyceofthefall
Summary: Rin is mechanic in his friend Sousuke's shop, just trying to rebuild a drift car and make a name for himself on the local mountain pass. Then Haru wanders into his shop with a car that shouldn't even be running and Rin finds himself drawn to someone he never would have suspected.AKA a self indulgent street racing/mechanic AU to get back into the swing of writing





	You Get My Heart Racing

It was 10 PM, the sky outside a lovely shade of dark, and Rin was finally washing the engine grease off his hands. He had to admit that his gig as a mechanic in his best friend, Sousuke's, shop was pretty awesome, but he sometimes got tired of standing over a sink for an hour scrubbing various car fluids off his skin. He dried his hands with a pile of paper towels and headed to Sousuke's office, navigating the dark hallway with the ease of familiarity. Engine grease may have been annoying, but as soon as he opened the office's door, he remembered why it was all so worth it. 

Three boxes of brand new car parts sat waiting for him in the corner, their bright logos and shining labels calling to him like a siren. Sousuke had been paying part of Rin's salary with car parts since Rin started racing, determined that if Rin was going to die drifting on public roads, at least it wouldn't be because he had bad parts. Rin practically threw himself onto the floor and started opening the boxes, luxuriating in all the new parts he would spend the weekend installing on his baby, a previously-shitty S13 he'd spent most of the summer repairing. It was going to be the best drift car on the local mountain pass. 

Another good thing about working for your best friend. He let you have plenty of time off to recklessly race down mountains of your choosing. 

Rin heaved the boxes into his arms as best he could and turned to go back out to the garage. As soon as he turned the corner, the yellow light of the garage spilling into the doorway, Rin found himself standing in front of an idling car. He fumbled his boxes in surprise - the garage had closed a good thirty minutes ago - and shouted. 

"Oi, what do you think you're doing here?"

The driver of what Rin now saw to be a Honda Civic in woefully terrible condition simply opened his door and got out, staring blankly.

"It's broken," the man said. Rin was bewildered. Normally clients parked outside, came into the main office to discuss repairs, and then left so the mechanics could do their work. This guy with his ridiculously blue eyes was just... here. After closing. With a car that was more than a little broken. Rin wasn't sure how it was driving at all. The entire front of the car was smushed, and the rear wasn't much better. Rust was eating the car's paint, and as Rin looked closer, he saw it was eating through the metal too. Rin set down his boxes and crossed his arms.

"We're closed. You need to leave and come back tomorrow." As it was after hours, Rin didn't bother using his customer service voice, opting instead for an annoyed growl. 

The stranger was unperturbed. 

"It keeps breaking down. Aren't you a mechanic?" the man asked. He focused his ridiculously blue eyes on Rin, challenge hiding somewhere in the set of his mouth. Rin was abruptly struck by how handsome this weird man was. He knew he should be closing up for the night, and god he was tired. But the stranger wasn't leaving, and something about him had piqued Rin's curiosity. He cleared his throat.

"Pop the hood, I'll do a quick check," Rin said, walking around the front of the car. He could hear cicadas chirping outside, warm summer air flowing through the open garage doors. He adjusted his muscle tank and tied his hair back.

The stranger did not move. 

"Uh? Hello? Dude? Open the hood for me," Rin repeated. _Dude, nice going, way to address the hot guy. Smooth. As. Fuck._

"What's a hood?" the man asked. Rin's eyebrows shot up and he stared on in disbelief. 

"You know, the front part of your car? Where the engine is? Here?" Rin said, pointing. The man stared at him. Rin sighed and went around him to the open car door, reaching down to find the lever that would open the hood. It opened with a screech that Rin found worrisome. He went back to the front of the car and raised the hood, setting on its prop rod. 

"What's your name?" Rin asked as he looked down at an engine that was practically screaming for help. 

"Haru," the man said, so quietly Rin almost missed it. 

"I'm Rin." Haru merely made a soft sound and watched Rin lean over the engine bay. 

"This thing shouldn't even be running. The radiator's cracked, these hoses go literally nowhere, and," Rin paused to pull the dipstick out, clean it, and dip it back in, "your oil looks like it hasn't ever been changed." Rin was affronted. He had never seen a car treated his way. He felt like he should do something to put it out of its misery. Haru clearly had no idea what Rin was talking about. Rin sighed and ran a hand through his hair.

"Look, if I can even fix his, its not gonna happen tonight. Is there someone who can pick you up?" Rin asked. 

Haru shook his head. "Makoto is busy."

"O-okay," Rin said. Haru was handsome but he was also really weird and intense and kind of intimidating but in a hot way. "Where do you live? Maybe I can give you a ride home."

"That way." Haru pointed down the street. 

Was Rin going to get murdered tonight? It was starting to feel like he was going to get murdered. Rin considered Haru, decided he could probably take him in a fight, and nodded. 

"Follow me," he said. 

Haru took the command slightly too literally as he followed Rin around the shop, watching Rin close up and turn the lights off. He was disconcertingly close as they watched the garage's door lower and click into place. Rin tried not to be creeped out and marginally succeeded. 

"It's not much, yet. But I plan to make it faster, and lighter," Rin said as he lead the way to the white S13 sitting at the edge of the parking lot. Haru didn't respond, so Rin kept talking, trying to break the awkward silence as he unlocked the doors and slid into his seat.

"I found it for a couple hundred bucks and it looked terrible. I've spent the summer fixing it up," Rin explained, waiting until Haru had buckled his seatbelt to start the engine. He turned to look at Haru but Haru was looking wordlessly out the window. Rin resigned himself to the most uncomfortable drive of his life and set off in the direction Haru had said he lived. 

The sky above was a curtain of blues and blacks and deep purple, lit up by the soft street lamps. Rin had always loved driving at night when the roads were empty, the asphalt stretching ahead of him and glimmering under bright stop lights silvery stars. To one side the sea stretched into the distance, rolling softly. Rin couldn't remember a time he hadn't lived by the ocean - although he knew that before his father had died they had lived in a city - and now the sound was so much a part of him that he couldn't sleep without it. Rin breathed in the cool sea air through his open windows and pressed the accelerator pedal down further. Haru was silent beside him, but it wasn't as bad as Rin had thought it would be. Rin glanced over, watching Haru's dark hair wave in the breeze. 

"Here," Haru said into the silence. Rin didn't immediately register what he'd said.

"Here," Haru repeated, more forcefully. Rin braked a little too hard, guiding the car to the side of the road where a long row of houses stood looking out at the ocean. Haru got out of the car and went around to the steps that led up to his house. Rin thought he was going to go inside without saying anything else, but when Haru reached the top stair, he turned.

"See you tomorrow," he said. 

"Y-yeah," Rin agreed, with a little wave that he knew was dorky as soon as he lowered his hand. Haru went inside and Rin dropped his forehead onto his steering wheel and wondered at his ability to be so entirely uncool. 

Wait... Did Haru expect Rin to pick him up?

**Author's Note:**

> Okay hello,
> 
> So I haven't written in ages and I'm kinda using this as a way to get back into it! Idk where the story is going or. What characters/ships will be involved later on (lbr idk if I'm going to continue or how often I can update) but its an adventure so we'll see! Basically its all just for fun so I hope ya'll enjoy


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